“Aggressive action” needed to combat AI-driven crime in UK

A new report from The Alan Turing Institute calls for the establishment of a dedicated AI Crime Task Force within the National Crime Agency to combat the growing misuse of AI in criminal activities.

AI is fuelling a surge in sophisticated cyber crimes, particularly so in financial fraud and phishing, as criminals are leveraging AI to automate and scale illegal activities, thereby making it increasingly difficult for victims to differentiate between real and fabricated content.

AI-enabled crime is already causing significant personal, social and financial harm and, if immediate action isn’t taken, criminal exploitation of AI will grow at an alarming rate.

The proposed AI Crime Task Force would collect and analyse data on AI-driven criminal activity across UK law enforcement agencies. It would work closely with national security organisations and private sector partners to develop effective countermeasures.

The Task Force would scale-up AI adoption to proactively disrupt criminal networks and, by strengthening international collaboration (particularly with Europol), would ensure standardised approaches to tackling AI-enabled crime.

Law enforcement agencies must remain ahead of the curve by using AI to combat AI-driven threats. Without this, detecting and preventing AI-enabled crimes will become increasingly difficult.

Crucial role

John Lucey, vice-president (EMEA) at Cellebrite, said: “AI forensic technology providers are already playing a crucial role in helping law enforcement stay ahead of these emerging threats, but in public safety and law enforcement, professionals must govern AI applications to counteract the threats and leverage it as a tool that accelerates manual processes.”

Lucey continued: “For digital forensics teams, AI-driven automation can drastically reduce case processing times by classifying content, prioritising evidence and extracting data from devices more efficiently. Currently, investigators spend an average of 58 hours per case reviewing digital evidence, but with AI-driven solutions, this workload can be significantly reduced, expediting case resolutions.”

In conclusion, Lucey noted: “As criminals increasingly exploit AI in order to scale their operations, law enforcement must be equipped with cutting-edge technology to counter these threats on an effective basis. The proposed AI Crime Task Force represents a vital step toward a more co-ordinated and proactive response, ensuring that agencies have the tools and expertise needed to combat AI-driven crime at scale.”